


Cyan

by saienti



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Among Us (Video Game) Setting, Angst, Angst and Tragedy, Blood and Gore, Character Death, Character Study, Gore, Graphic Description of Corpses, Heavy Angst, Hurt No Comfort, M/M, Major Character Injury, Murder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 09:55:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29276547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saienti/pseuds/saienti
Summary: The very first kill is usually the most well executed one, since he has a lot of time to create a seamless plan while the others jump to preposterous conclusions. They all start with yelling over each other’s heads before they have even gotten to the first mission, everybody so eager to win and stab each other’s backs. Minho stays silent, observing, flying under the radar and singles out his prey. This time Light Green seems to be a bit overly excited to throw threats. It’s a good trait that Minho can use against them to get the rest of the crew on his side.“Cyan is awfully quiet, isn’t that a bit suspicious?” Light Green tries, their voice distorted through the microphone attached to the helmet. Minho chuckles darkly.If you only knew, baby.
Relationships: Bang Chan/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Hwang Hyunjin/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Kim Seungmin/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Lee Felix/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Lee Minho | Lee Know/Everyone
Comments: 4
Kudos: 39





	Cyan

**Author's Note:**

> gDAy FeLLas!!  
> so before we start, i wanna say that the reason to why only six of the members are present is because this work was written originally for ViXX (u can find the original work further down my page!) so thats why!  
> i have made a few changes, but i really felt like my fellow Stay would enjoy this AU so i hope u do!  
> and secondly! this is pretty brutal and very sad so if u are uncomfortable with such content i suggest not reading this! be mindful of the tags pls :3  
> i think thats it, i hope u love this work as much as i do (i wouldnt upload it within two fandoms if i didnt hehehehe)  
> enjoy  
> xx

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Minho barely looks around, not bothered to actually commit to remembering the names of the new crew. They are already kind of dead to him figuratively, and soon they will be literally dead aswell. He has gotten used to it, the killing. He actually takes pride in his flawless work and the skill he possesses to convince every new crew without fail. Nobody can take him down, and he has gotten to the point where it’s becoming a fun game to figure out the traits of the newcomers every time. Betting with himself on who he will slaughter first. It’s almost always Pink.

The very first kill is usually the most well executed one, since he has a lot of time to create a seamless plan while the others jump to preposterous conclusions. They all start with yelling over each other’s heads before they have even gotten to the first mission, everybody so eager to win and stab each other’s backs. Minho stays silent, observing, flying under the radar and singles out his prey. This time Light Green seems to be a bit overly excited to throw threats. It’s a good trait that Minho can use against them to get the rest of the crew on his side.

“Cyan is awfully quiet, isn’t that a bit suspicious?” Light Green tries, their voice distorted through the microphone attached to the helmet. Minho chuckles darkly. _If you only knew, baby_.

Minutes later, Minho has cornered Light Green next to the vent. He can’t see their face, but he hears their heartbeat drumming against their rib cage, relishes the muffled way their breath crackles through the speakers. He is not going to kill them just yet. This is just the beginning. Making them afraid to the point where their rambling will cause everybody else to side with Minho because why the fuck are they suddenly so set on Minho being the imposter? Minho has many tricks up his sleeve to turn all the humans against each other so he can murder them one by one in peace. He knows how humans work by now. He has been doing this long enough for him to have full understanding of their behavioural patterns, it never fails. They all do them at one point or another. And Minho loves to find out the small quirks that separate them just so he can make the kills simulate each and every crew mate’s worst nightmare.

He backs away from Light Green, breathing heavily, adrenaline making him almost dizzy. He loves the chase, black eyes wide with desire. He is glad to have the helmet covering his face, because his human veil always cracks when he gets this excited, exposing the dark purple, rough texture of his natural skin and the black slime filling his mouth and spilling between his fangs down his chin.

Light Green squeals in shock, and dashes towards the emergency meeting button, pressing it frantically with shaking hands. 

“What is it now? We have had literally five minutes to complete our tasks, and you are already pressing emergency?” Orange whines when they all have sat down in the main space of the ship.

“I KNOW WHO IT IS!” Light Green yells at the top of their lungs, voice breaking under the stress. “IT’S CYAN!”

Everybody sighs. Minho stays silent. If he says something now, he will surely just confirm Light Green’s accusations. He has to be patient. The air is loaded. When the whole crew turns towards him, he can finally speak his part.

“I just happened to bump into Light Green near the vent. It was coincidental. It is highly unlikely the imposter will show their true colors so early on, don’t you think? We have barely even scratched the surface of our tasks.” he says, voice leveled and calm. Orange nods, and Light Green panics.

“No, I _swear_ what I saw was true. Why would I lie?”

“Light Green kinda sus.” Yellow giggles, and the crew laughs a little at that.

“Let us just finish the first task and then we can have a clearer picture of who is really the imposter? Sounds good?”

Everybody agrees and the meeting is over. Minho grins devilishly, concealed by his helmet. _Showtime_.

Sneaking up on Light Green is half the fun. They keep looking over their shoulder, body shivering in fear. Minho hides inside a vent close to where he saw Light Green heading last time, and it’s a sure score. When Light Green comes close enough, Minho pounces out of his hiding place, his helmet off to give Light Green a few terrifying last seconds alive. He opens his mouth, engulfing half of Light Green’s body in one go and bites down. Light Green screams, but it’s absorbed far down Minho’s throat. He growls as he feels his sharp teeth pierce the rubbery suit and underneath the soft skin that breaks so easily under the immense pressure. Warm blood gushes out, and Minho shivers. It’s so satisfying. He can hear Light Green gargle, slowly being severed in half as they simultaneously choke on their own blood. Then Minho shakes his head, and the lower half of Light Green falls limply to the cold floor with a thump, blood splattering on the walls, pooling around the dead body. He opens his mouth, and spits out the rest. He isn’t keen on eating his victims, he has _some_ kind of moral. Instead, he places the two separated body parts next to each other to the faint sound of the last heartbeats, pulling off the helmet to reveal a pretty girl with short, mint colored hair. Minho’s favorite color. He watches the life fade out of her eyes, a knowing smirk on his lips as he strokes her cheek, smearing her own blood mixed with his thick, black saliva there in the process.

“You were right, darling.”

The rest of the murders are a blur as always, faces and bodies melting together into one big, bloody mess that Minho brushes off his conscience as soon as he is done.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

The deafening volume of the horn that announces incoming crew mates startles Minho, and he jolts into a sitting position, rubbing his eyes. Nowadays he usually just sleeps through his alone time, because it drives him insane to be the only one on the big ship for three days.

The first day he can usually manage to clean up his latest killing spree, throwing the bodies out into the vastness outside the big vehicle, washing the floors and windows, and then he passes out in a dreamless sleep. When he was new at this, which was months ago, he was awake every hour, rushing around the ship to memorize every vent and place to hide. Now that he knows every nook and cranny it’s just boring to be on his own. It’s not that he is a particularly social creature, because he values every second spent away from humans. It’s more so that sometimes he wishes someone else was just present, like he could at least have the option to socialize. Some days he thinks about the ships where there are more than one imposter, and he wonders if they are friends, working together to eliminate the humans. Are they all the same species? Or is Minho the only one of his kind?

The horn blares out it’s tune again, and Minho groans, slowly dragging his body out of bed. He forces himself into his human form, it feels unusually tight and uncomfortable and like he is trapped. Looking in the mirror at his naked body, he pulls at the skin as if to adjust it to sit properly on him. He feels annoyed which is not a great way to start if he wants to go through with this batch of humans smoothly. Being irritable always puts him on edge, making him rougher around the edges and less patient. And he hates when he gets like that because then the murders won’t satisfy him as much.

When he is in his suit and ready to go, he materializes into the elevator where the new crew is waiting to be let inside the spaceship. At first it’s just him and Blue, and for some reason the name catches Minho’s eye as it’s just two simple letters sewn onto their suit. CB.

“Hello, Lino.” CB greets him, and it causes Minho to flinch. It has been such a long time since someone called him by his nickname that he has forgotten what is imprinted on his suit. “I’m sure my friends will be here shortly.”

“Yes. Hello.” Minho answers curtly, with a nod. CB has a little flower on their helmet, and it’s annoyingly sweet.

“Are your friends joining too?” CB asks, but before Minho can answer, another crewmate materializes, this time Purple.

“Hi, CB and Lino.” Purple says, voice smooth despite the distortion of the microphone. Their name tag reads Mong Mong.

“Minnie! You made it!” CB says happily, jumping forward to give Mong Mong a hug. The rubbery material squeaks as they move, and Minho grits his teeth. Red materializes next, and their voice is noticeably louder than the others.

“Oh my god, yes. We got on the same ship!” they shriek, bouncing around the small area. Apparently this one is Quokka. Minho wants to slaughter Quokka first.

“Yo, let’s win!” Black appears, reaching out a hand to shake Minho’s. “I’m Sam.”

“Lino.” he says, allowing Sam to shake his hand one time.

“Where is Lix? He said he would make it!” Quokka whines, clinging onto CB and Minho is seriously about to lose it because of the sound the suits make when rubbed against each other. He has to find some lube to bathe Quokka in if they are going to hang onto every member of the crew like that. At least that will minimize the squeaking.

“Hey, guys. Sorry I’m late. I couldn’t find the right portal.” Pink apologizes as they materialize right next to Minho. They turn towards Minho, and he can sense the smile underneath the black vizor. “I’m Sunshine. Nice to meet you, Lino.”

“Likewise.” Minho snarls. He is not feeling this crew. There is something about their dynamics that irks him.

“Shall we gather in the office?” CB suggests, already walking towards said room, leading the way. Minho sighs, another human who just assumes the leader position because nobody else was fast enough. As they sit down, Minho expects them to start the yelling immediately, like all other humans have done. But they are silent. CB flips through the pages of their schedule, humming softly.

“Okay, so I see we have quite a few tasks to perform. I’m sure they will be handed out to each of us shortly. Meanwhile, why don’t we chat for a bit? Minnie, what did you do today?” CB says, turning towards Mong Mong. Minho is flabbergasted. What the fuck is going on?

“I just did some laundry. Made breakfast. Said goodbye to my family just in case, you know?”

They are _prepared_ to die? No. That is not how humans work. It makes Minho angry. They come here with a superiority complex, to dominate and show everybody that humans are the best species. They come here terrified of death and avoiding it at any cost. They do _not_ come here accepting death as a possible outcome and discussing laundry.

“Yeah, I also said goodbye to be sure to have it done in case things go to shit here.” Sam adds, and they all file off into small talk that upsets Minho even more. The only silent one is Sunshine, the one that Quokka called- _was it Lix_? They stay very quiet, and it piques Minho’s interest.

“Tasks assigned.” the robotic AI voice declares, and Minho knows from experience the missions assigned to each person blinks up on the inside of their vizors.

“Let us figure this out then. Come on, crew!” CB says, standing up with the whole crew following. Minho slinks away into one of the alleys where there are no tasks to be done, but the humans don’t know that. He senses a presence following him, and throws a swift glance over his shoulder, spotting Pink. Sunshine. Minho smirks. Sunshine is walking straight into his trap. Stupid human.

Minho stops by one of the vents scattered around the ship, waiting for Sunshine to catch up. When they do, they stop in front of Minho who is leaning against the metallic wall.

“What is your mission, Lino?”

“‘Buy beverage’.” Minho lies easily. “Do you wanna join me or is that the completely wrong direction for you?”

Sunshine shakes their head quickly.

“No, it’s perfect. I have ‘empty garbage’, so we can accompany each other! At least for the first stop.”

Minho nods shortly, heading towards the cafeteria.

When they arrive, Sunshine seems to immediately be engrossed in their mission, running around to fix all the garbage cans around the area. Minho doesn’t even have to fake his task, Sunshine doesn’t notice that they are being watched.

“Which task do you have?” Quokka’s voice appears next to Minho, making him jump in surprise.

“I finished mine.” Minho blurts out, mentally slapping himself because this will surely raise suspicion.

“That wasn’t my question, Lino.” Quokka says, and Minho can imagine the narrowed eyes sent his way.

“It was ‘buy beverage’.” Minho grits through his teeth, and Quokka squeaks.

“Was not. That was _my_ task!”

Minho’s breath hitches as he realizes that- _fuck_ \- this is the first time ever he has accidentally outed himself like this. Why didn’t he double check the other crew mate’s missions before he lied? He has never made such a big mistake, and it adds to the big pile of anger he already harbors since waking up.

It feels like time goes in slow motion when he sees Quokka dash for the emergency meeting button, and he has to react _now_ or it will be too late. He prays that Sunshine is still too engulfed in their mission to notice Minho pounce Quokka, and allow his hand to sneak up underneath their helmet. He lets the human veil crack just enough for his cold, long fingers to wrap around Quokka’s jaw, pushing his claws into their mouth, effectively shutting them up as he drags them off into a secluded corridor. When they are too far away for the others to hear, Minho rips his own helmet off and with one swift movement he bites down, decapitating Quokka. The body slides down to the floor, blood still pumping violently from the open wound where the head is supposed to be. Minho opens his mouth and takes Quokka’s head out, rids it of it’s red helmet to get a proper look at this round’s first kill.

It’s a man with big, expressive eyes and round, soft cheeks. His hair has streaks of red incorporated, ironically enough. Minho sees his pupils dilate one last time, eyes wide. For the first time in his short life, Minho feels remorseful. He isn’t sure if it’s because of the way Quokka’s eye color is similar to Minho’s own when in human form, or if it’s because he has to lie to Sunshine. Who seemed to trust him right off the bat without question. Who is Quokka’s _friend_. Nausea washes over him as he puts the head down and he cleans up quickly. He decides to report the body, to make himself look as innocent as possible.

☆

The air is heavy, and Minho doesn’t know what to do. He lies in his bed inside his locked cubicle, where he can be free from his human prison, staring at the ceiling.

When the body was reported, CB called off the rest of the day’s missions, and Minho is sure none of them finished even their first one.

Minho has never witnessed grief before, none of the other crew mates has ever cried over a lost human. They have just gotten even more riled up and made Minho’s work easier. The more upset they were, the less they noticed lack of logic. This is foreign to him, the way they huddled together and cried for their murdered friend. The selfish part of Minho feels protective of his own life suddenly. They must know that he is the monster now, they have to. Unless one of them has some dark side that has never been seen before, or they have to be dangerously naive and too trusting. He has to act quick now, because this crew doesn’t seem to get riled up, rather the opposite. And that threatens Minho’s existence.

The next day he hides in his cubicle, feigning sickness, trying to come up with a quick and seamless asassination plan. They all seem to be understanding, and the mood is gloomy and gray. Minho doesn’t understand why he is so affected by this. Is it because none of the other crews had ever seemed to be friends? He doesn’t know how friendship affects humans, he hasn’t seen it at all.

There is a knock on the closed door, the cold sound bouncing on the empty steel walls.

“Lino?” Sunshine’s voice comes from the other side, and it sounds unusually clear. Minho clears his throat.

“Yes?”

“I brought food. I figured you might need some fuel.”

Minho sits up, confused. Why isn’t Sunshine doing their task? Surely they should be back on track by now? It’s been at least eight hours since Quokka was reported dead.

“Would you open up, at least?”

“Yeah, yeah. Just a sec.” Minho scrambles out of bed, getting in human form and puts his suit on. When he swings the door open, he is met by two dark eyes, staring at him. Sunshine isn’t wearing the helmet. Minho is rendered speechless, studying the boy in front of him. He can’t be old, barely even twenty. His guts twist, this is basically a child. He murdered someone in the presence of a _child_. 

“Channie- I mean CB- made this from what he found in the cabinets of the cafeteria.” Sunshine says, his voice wavering, holding out a bowl with something white in it. Minho didn’t even know there was stuff in those cabinets. Let alone if they were edible for humans.

“Why?” is all Minho manages to croak out, and Sunshine smiles sheepishly.

“Because we were hungry and-”

“No. Why did you bring this to me?”

‘ _I don’t eat_.’ he adds in his mind, but the human doesn’t know that.

“You seem to be as lonely as I am. I thought we could try to be friends? My real name is Felix, by the way.”

Minho physically feels time stop.

“Sungie was my closest friend here, and I know you’re innocent because you were at the cafeteria with me, so I just-” the boy mumbles, lips quivering as a tear rolls down his face.

“Aren’t you supposed to do your tasks?” Minho asks, unable to wrap his mind around human emotions. Felix looks up, a mazed expression decorating his young face.

“Uh- no? Channie said we should take the day off since you seemed ill, so we are just hanging out in the lounge today.” he explains, pointing at his head. “Hence the lack of equipment.”

“But the mission-” Minho breathes out, puzzled.

“Yeah, we will probably get back to that tomorrow. We all needed some time to-” Felix pauses, taking a shaky breath. “- to digest what happened.” another pause. “Listen, if you don’t want to hang out with us, it’s fine. I get that it can be hard not knowing a group who is already friends. But I would like to at least try to incorporate you and make you feel included.”

Minho’s mind is racing, this is territory he hasn’t ventured before, and he is scared for the first time in his life. He shouldn’t be included, he is the monster. Capable, assigned and _willing_ to slaughter them all. He is the odd one out and the crew should be afraid. This behaviour doesn’t make any sense according to what Minho has learned about humans. Of course he is the outsider, because his only task is to kill the crew. He isn’t supposed to fit in, he is just here to finish his mission.

When Minho still doesn’t answer after a long moment of silence, Felix puts the bowl of food down on the gray floor and sighs, shoulders sagging.

“Regardless, I wanted to tell you that I will vouch for your innocence next meeting.” he finally says, letting go of the heavy door that falls shut with a loud bang.

☆

“We need to get everything under control here now. Lix. You’re absolutely positive that Lino was at the cafeteria with you?”

Felix nods, and it bothers Minho.

“I don’t know where any of you were. I don’t trust you.” he mutters, pressing closer to Minho’s side. It prickles Minho’s skin to hear such vicious things come from Felix’s mouth. These are his real life friends. He should trust them, not Minho. He hasn’t even shown his face, Felix has no idea if he is a human or a slimy monster. Not that it really matters since Minho can change his physical appearance. But still. It’s insane how fast Felix has attached to Minho, both mentally and physically. And for some reason Minho can’t find it in him to push the young boy away. He should just murder them all on the spot, get it over with so he can sleep again. But he just can’t.

“Guys, can’t we just finish the tasks we were assigned from the beginning to at least have something done? None of us managed to finish our assignments before-” Mong Mong speaks, trying to reason with everybody. CB sighs, but nods.

“Minnie is right. We should at least try to do this for Sungie.”

“Don’t speak about him like that. He is _my_ best friend!” Felix yells, voice stuttering through the speaker of his helmet. He stands up fast, chair falling over behind him.

“Calm down, Lix.” Sam tries, but it just spurs Felix on.

“Don’t fucking pet name me! I have no idea if you’re even Hyunjin anymore!” he screams, the sheer volume making the microphone unable to properly capture it.

“But you don’t know Lino either, you have no idea-”

“At least I know Lino was with me in the room when Sungie was murdered somewhere in the ship. I saw _none_ of you there!” Felix’s voice cracks, and Minho hears that he is crying underneath the helmet. This is bad. This is so bad.

“Lix, please. We are all heart broken, you shouldn’t lash out on Jinnie just because there is some tension going on.” CB says calmly, assuming the leader role once again. “We don’t know who the imposter is. For all we know, none of us are. There might be creatures inside the ship that we have yet to encounter. Or maybe it’s one of us. We should be reasonable.”

Felix’s chest is heaving with labored breaths.

“Maybe you’re so calm about this because you’re the one who did it, and now you wanna convince us all that you’re innocent! Or maybe Minnie is the murderer and you’re covering for him just because you two-”

“That’s _enough_.” CB cuts him off. The glare Mong Mong sends Felix’s way sizzles in the entire room.

“You have no right to accuse me out of the blue.” they snarl. The air is cold and Sam puts their hands on the table, palms down.

“Guys, we should really just try to focus on at least completing our first tasks.”

“Just so you can run around and slaughter someone again? I don’t think so!” Felix’s voice is wild.

“We can’t sit here forever, Lix.”

“Then you all stay here while I bring Lino with me to do my mission alone.”

The quietness that follows is awkward, and Minho feels the tension skittering around them. He can hear their heartbeats pick up, terrified by the fact that Felix might not come back. They don’t trust Minho, and it’s no surprise. He fucked up big time.

After a pregnant silence, CB sighs and waves their hands in defeat.

“Fine. Please be careful?”

Felix snorts and turns around, tugging Minho with him.

☆

“I don’t understand why they are so set on you being the imposter. Just because you’re not a part of the friend group. It’s idiotic. It was just a happy coincidence that we got on the same ship. I’ve heard stories of people who have been completely alone with strangers. It seems horrible. And then none of them come back so we can’t know if the rumors are true or just urban legends, you know?” Felix rants as they wander towards the storage rooms so he can finish emptying the garbage cans. Minho knows this is a task that the other crew mates will be notified about on the screen inside their vizors. It’s a task that assures Felix’s innocence. And it would be stupid of Minho to not take advantage of that to take them all out. He has to go about this differently. This time around he has to put human against human, and not just the whole crew against each other. The first pairing is Mong Mong and Sam. The tension between them can easily be manipulated to resemble a murder.

“Uh- I mean, I understand that. It’s a common reaction to outsiders.” Minho tries to not expose himself. This is a very tricky road to maneuver, and Minho has never been this close to a human before. This is the first time he gets information on humans that is beyond his own studies. And he would lie if he says he isn’t curious.

“But it’s so not like them. They are always so open and kind and caring! I don’t understand what has happened to them.”

“CB made me food yesterday.” Minho provides. Felix turns around.

“Yeah, he did actually. But you didn’t eat it. I passed your room a while later and the bowl was still outside where I left it. Don’t you like rice?”

Minho doesn’t even know what rice is, but opts for shaking his head to avoid saying something endangering his safety.

“It’s okay. I ate it instead. I like rice, even if it was a bit cold.” Felix says with a giggle. “Me and Sungie used to make-” he chokes up a bit. “- sorry. It’s still hard to talk about. We used to make onigiri together. With tuna and avocado. Maybe you would like that more?”

Minho wants to ask why it’s hard to talk about Red. But the risk of getting himself in danger is way too high for him to consider asking. He has to lure it out some other way. Why is Felix still upset over his friend? Minho needs to understand to make sure that his next kill won’t stall the progress like this one did. Maybe there is a way to do it differently so that they don’t cry and mourn for a full day.

They reach the storage rooms, and Felix goes about fixing his task while Minho watches him.

“What did you do before you came to the ship?” he asks, vizor turned towards Minho as he ties up the plastic bag he is fidgeting with. “Like- uh- what did you do for a living?”

Minho panics, he has to come up with a human alibi quickly.

“I did- uh- I was a cashier. Nothing major really.” he lies, and Felix perks up.

“Really? Me too. And this felt like a better option! Because like- what an adventure!” he says, voice warm even though distorted. The boy sounds like he is trying to convince himself more than Minho. “I know you might think I’m too young to be here, and that is true. But my parents-” Felix trails off, tossing the bag he just finished tying on top of the other two and goes to put them all into the small space where they will be dumped into the darkness outside. “- you know. They probably thought the money they got from me being sent off early was better than having their son alive for a while longer. So I was shipped off a few years before I was supposed to go. I don’t blame them, of course. We’ve been struggling for a long time with economics, but it still hurts, you know. Being sold to a sure death by your own parents.”

Minho has no idea how to react to all this new information. Are humans sent here at a specific age, just to die? He doesn’t know if he should ignore the way Felix’s shoulders slump as he drags the bags towards the garbage chute, or if he should try soothing him. But how can Minho comfort someone when he has no idea how to understand human emotions? He follows Felix with some stumbling steps, and puts a hand onto his shoulder.

“That sounds shitty.” is all he manages to get out, and Felix laughs coldly.

“It is.” he whispers, pushing the button to release the trash into space.

☆

“They said I’m innocent.” Felix mumbles as he is sitting on Minho’s bed. Minho has no idea why he let the human inside his room, but he didn’t have it in him to deny the boy once he came knocking again, this time with a bowl holding something red.

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Minho asks, and Felix looks up. He is out of his helmet again, brown eyes staring at Minho. It feels like he can see Minho’s black, soulless eyes behind his vizor. He hasn’t dared to show himself out of the suit yet. 

“It is. But that means that they will be even more protective of me. And keep me from you. And I don’t want that.”

“Why do you even care about someone who isn’t a friend?” Minho has to ask, and curses himself when Felix looks at him incredulously.

“Why would you ask such a thing? Was your life really that terrible before you came here? Have you never felt someone care for you that isn’t family or friends?” Felix looks heartbroken, and Minho wonders when he started to develop some kind of soft spot for this young human. And how does he answer questions that he hasn’t ever been asked before? He might fuck this up even more if he tries to act human, but he can’t out himself yet. He has to play smart.

“Yeah. It was really that terrible.” he repeats, hanging his head for good measure. He is taken by surprise when he feels thin arms wrap around his middle, squeezing him softly but firmly. Felix leans his head onto Minho’s shoulder, nuzzling his suit there.

“I feel for you. I am the same. My only friends are here on this ship with me. And my family-” he whimpers, Minho can feel the boy’s shoulders stutter as he trails off into a sob. He is frozen in place, weighing his options carefully. If he manages to soothe the human, get him on his side, he can have a very good alibi to get away with killing everybody before he finally takes out Felix. But he has to be careful as to how he does this. Humans are apparently incredibly more fragile than Minho ever understood. So he puts his gloved hand on the back of Felix’s neck, stroking the hairs as carefully as he can. It seems to take down the last wall Felix has, and he starts to cry in earnest, body convulsing against Minho’s solid frame.

After a few very awkward minutes on Minho’s part, Felix pulls away, eyes still glistening with tears and snot running down his upper lip. Minho stays silent.

“Can I see your face?” Felix blurts out, a deep blush painting his freckled cheeks when he shrinks back as he realizes it might be a rude question. Minho tenses, if he denies the request he might raise suspicion. But he is scared that he won’t be able to keep the veil intact. Despite all this, he nods and reaches to pull his dark blue helmet off, praying his human shell won’t crack. He locks their gazes as his face comes into view for Felix, taking in his reaction.

Felix’s chin drops, and Minho feels a smile tug at his lips that he quickly smoothes over with a blank expression. Humans are fascinating creatures, but something about Felix makes Minho feel something that isn’t the pure instinct of wanting to slice Felix into pieces. There is this untainted, childlike aura around him that stirs something primal in Minho, like a possessive need to protect him. His eye twitches slightly, and the veil falters for a split second, making Minho turn away to shield himself.

“Why are you turning away? You’re beautiful.” Felix’s voice is so small, his hands tugging at Minho’s wrist to turn him back.

“It’s nothing, really. Just got something in my eye.”

“You should have been a model back on Earth.” Felix breathes, stepping closer, inspecting Minho’s human face. He flinches away again, the boy is too close for him to feel comfortable. He has never tested the limits of his flesh colored shell. “Or an idol. You look unrealistically gorgeous.”

“That doesn’t matter now, does it? I’m here, and won’t get away from this ship alive.”

Felix shrinks back a bit, nodding.

“You’re right. I’m sorry if I caused any unpleasant memories to come back.” he says quietly, turning towards the door. “I should head back to my room, we have a long day tomorrow. Goodnight, Lino.”

When Minho is alone again, he allows his human form to melt away. He stands in front of the mirror, studying his actual body in the reflection. Why is he suddenly repulsed by his appearance?

☆

Minho finds it trickier than he thought, luring Mong Mong and Sam away to roughly the same spot. Because now he has Felix hanging onto his every action. He hasn’t been succeeding very well at separating the four remaining humans, Mong Mong and CB seem to cling onto each other way too much, and Felix just wants to follow Minho around. Trying to convince Felix to hang out with CB is impossible, and Minho’s patience is running thin. He desperately searches his mind to find solutions, to get the human off his back for at least mere minutes so he can finish off Mong Mong. It’s useless.

When CB declares lunch time, Minho scurries away before Felix can grab his arm, and locks himself into his cubicle. This is really putting his skill to the test. He has to succeed. He knows no other way. What will happen if he dies? He hasn’t ever entertained the thought, and now it’s a constant worry, clouding his judgement. Maybe if he could pretend to have a question for the two, about something on the ship? He has to try, it’s his only resort. He gets up quickly, walking towards the lounging area where the others have gathered for lunch.

“Mong Mong, could I ask you something? I think I saw something weird over at the engines, and I could really use an extra set of eyes. I’ve stared too long at the task. I’m sorry for interrupting in the middle of lunch but-”

Mong Mong gets up, polite as ever.

“Of course, I’ll try to help. It will be a while until the food is ready anyways. Right, love?” Mong Mong says, turning their vizor towards CB. _Love_ , huh? Minho winces. It sounds like another form of endearment that for sure will ruin the progress for at least another day, but it’s too late now.

“Yeah, go on. Be careful.” CB says quietly, shooing them off. At that very moment, Sam gets up too. Minho tries to not freeze mid step.

“Yeah, I really need to go to the bathroom. So I’ll do that before lunch!” they say, and Minho grins wickedly under his helmet. How did he manage to get this lucky? It’s the perfect coincidence and a flawless alibi.

The three of them take the same way until the second exit, where Sam turns right. Mong Mong and Minho continue for a couple of meters more until they are close to the room where the engines are. Mong Mong walks in front of him, unsuspecting as Minho takes his helmet off, the black substance in his mouth spilling onto the floor.

“What did you nee-” Mong Mong starts, turning around. They are silenced as Minho rushes forward, grabbing Mong Mong’s throat and clenches his fist around it, causing their eyes to pop underneath the vizor and the aorta in their neck to explode, painting the walls and the human’s suit in dark, thick red. He holds so tightly around their neck that no sound can escape and the act is over quickly. Minho doesn’t have the time anymore to plan the kills or make them lengthier than they have to be. The clock is already ticking, he doesn’t have all the time in the world to finish off this batch, and they have already been on the ship for way too long as it is. Minho doesn’t even have time to do his usual routine of seeing the face of his victim, not that they will look like they used to without their eyes in their sockets, but still. It’s something Minho has been doing since the beginning and it feels weird not to do it now, but he is short on time. He has to act fast so that he is back with the others before Sam, framing them perfectly for the murder.

He leaves Mong Mong’s body in a pile on the steel floor, rushing to the button to report the body to the others. It all goes in slow motion from there, Minho hears the heart wrenching scream escape CB’s body, just as he enters the lounging area again. CB’s helmet is thrown off, broken from the force of the impact, revealing a man with a messy mop of wavy, dirty blonde hair, hiding a face in his hands. Sam appears behind Minho, pushing him aside to fall onto their knees next to Felix, who is holding his friend, trying to soothe him. Felix looks at Minho with wild eyes, tears cascading down his cheeks.

“WHO DID IT?!” CB bellows, his voice breaking and Minho is once again stabbed in the gut with guilt. He causes people to break like this. This is all Minho’s doing. CB collapses onto his side, turning in on himself, body convulsing with sobs. “Who murdered my- my fiancé- I-”

Felix tries to shush him, to no avail. CB continues to whimper loudly, without words, clawing at his hair as if to escape a nightmare. It goes on and on for what feels like hours, CB continuing to scream and throw things, destroying the whole place and his suit in his blind rage. Nobody can reach him or calm him down, he is inconsolable. In the end, he just sits in a corner, wailing hoarsely, tearing at the skin of his arms until they are a bloody mess. Felix is hiding behind Minho, who is still standing in the doorway.

“Kill me. One of you. Just end it. My life is not worth living at this point.” CB looks at them, eyes red from crying, lips bloody and trembling. “He was my _soulmate_. I’m nothing without him. I didn’t even get to tell him how much I love him one last time.”

Felix shivers behind Minho, fingers clutching Minho’s suit with an iron grip. Sam kneels down in front of CB, petting his blonde hair.

“Channie. Please. Breathe.” they plead, but CB shakes his head, pushing Sam away.

“Can you imagine I have to live the rest of my life knowing that the last words I ever spoke to him were ‘Yeah, go on. Be careful.’?” CB spits, and Sam backs off a little bit, probably unsure of how to mend CB’s heart. If it could even be healed. “No. Because you never let anybody close, too scared to let someone see your flaws, all of your horrible sides you’d rather bury deep than speak of again. And you know what? I envy you for that now.”

The silence is deafening, CB’s words are hanging in the air, dripping with venom. Sam physically recoils, stumbling backwards on their hands. They inhale deeply, the crackling of the speaker unbearably loud amidst the stillness.

“You know what, _fuck you_.” Sam finally wheezes, getting up and running away to their cubicle. Felix finally steps away from Minho’s side, carefully approaching CB.

“Channie, let us just go to bed? And we can talk when you’ve gotten some rest.” he says quietly, lifting CB up with one of his arms hooked underneath CB’s armpits. Minho stays where he is, only moving towards his own cubicle when he is completely alone.

☆

The insistent pounding on Minho’s door jolts him awake, the sound bouncing off the sterile walls of the small area.

“Lino, open. Please!” Felix cries from the other side, his voice high pitched. Minho gets into human form quickly and opens the door. He isn’t prepared for the sight that greets him. Felix is on his knees, cradling a bloody CB in his embrace, seemingly lifeless. A deep, phlegmy wound covers CB’s whole throat. There is no heartbeat pumping blood through the cut, and Minho can’t hear any breaths except Felix’s.

“What happened?” Minho asks, just to make sure that the crew mate is in fact dead.

“I don’t know how he- where he- he must have found something in the cafeteria that he- oh _god_ he isn’t breathing- I found him just minutes ago- I don’t know what to do- Lino _please_ -”

Minho says nothing. He doesn’t understand. Why is CB suddenly dead? Minho is the only imposter on this ship. Can humans kill themselves? Are they capable of taking something they so vigorously try to guard at all cost? Minho has seen humans sacrifice other humans just to ensure their own survival. This, however, doesn’t make sense to what Minho has learned. Last time a crew mate died, they seemed filled with a determination to solve this to honor their friend. What had been different with this murder? He scrambles to put the pieces together but his brain isn’t wired to understand. It’s like his mind is short circuiting.

“Lino! Help us!” Felix yells, snatching Minho out of his thoughts.

“I-” Minho stutters, caught off guard. “- I don’t know how to. I’m not here to-”

“What’s going on, guys? Where is-” Sam appears behind Felix, stopping at the sight of CB. “ _No_. No, no, no. ”

None of them are wearing any gear, and Minho is surprised to find Sam to be male aswell. He has never been with a crew that is all males.

“How did he- what did he even _use_?” Sam crouches, tears spilling from his eyes as he strokes CB’s cold cheek.

“I really don’t know what he found.” Felix weeps, burying his nose in CB’s hair. They all stay silent for a while, just like that. Felix sniffing CB’s dirty hair, Sam caressing CB’s cheek and Minho standing like a glitching game character. He has to finish both Sam and Felix off today, otherwise his own life will be in very much danger.

“We should have a meeting.” Minho says, striding towards the office.

“You gotta be _kidding_ me right now, man.” Sam wheezes angrily. “Literally all of our friends are slaughtered. One of them killed _himself_ because of this. And you want us to have a meeting? Why? So we can find the imposter? Because I think it’s pretty clear which one of us it is.”

“What are you on about, Jinnie? Lino is innocent.” Felix steps in to protect Minho. Okay, so they are having the meeting outside Minho’s cubicle with a dead crew mate lying in the middle of it. Perfect.

“Why are you so set on him being innocent?” Sam’s voice wavers, he is on the verge of breaking.

“Why are you so set on him being the monster?” Felix fires back.

“Because I know you’re pure and I’m sure I haven’t had anything to do with any of the killings.”

“Do you see his face? He is a _human_. Just like all of us. There has to be something _inside_ the ship that is killing us.”

Minho swallows. This is not gonna hold up much longer. And he decides to reveal his true intentions. He lurches forward, pushing Sam up with his back against the cold wall.

“Lino! Stop this!” Felix protests, diving to grab around Minho’s ankle, pulling towards himself. Minho ignores him, and smiles wickedly at Sam. Sam’s eyes are filled with resolution, like he is ready to die knowing the truth. Minho allows the veil on the side facing away from Felix to crack, letting one very sharp nail peek through the fingertips. He slowly drags it up Sam’s body while Felix pleads him to get a grip of himself.

“Lino, this isn’t you. He is just trying to rile you up. Please, you’re-”

Sam and Minho’s gazes lock, and Sam has the _audacity_ to smirk.

“ _I knew it was you_.” he whispers, voice strained and it’s the last straw for Minho. One quick flick of his wrist has the nail slicing through the tissue on Sam’s neck, spraying Minho’s face and arms in sticky, warm blood. Felix screams at the top of his lungs, fingernails clawing at Minho’s ankle in despair as his friend collapses limply to the floor. Felix lets him go and crawls on all fours to Sam, desperately covering the wound draining his friend of his blood.

“What did you _do_?!” Felix shouts, voice breaking at the last word. Minho has no answer except the truth.

“My task.”

“Your _task_? But- I thought you- you’re- beverage?” Felix stumbles over words, and he is looking at Minho with fear painting his features for the first time. “But you’re a- a human! You’re not the imposter- I know you aren’t because- I’ve seen- I see-”

“My face?” Minho snickers mirthlessly before letting out a deep breath, and then the shell cracks and melts away completely, baring his dark purple, ragged skin and haunting eyes. He smiles slightly to show off his unlockable jaw and sharp fangs, taking in Felix’s scared face when Minho’s black saliva spills over and drips down his torso and puddles around his feet. Felix’s yelp is shrill when Minho gives him a wave, flashing the pointed claws on his long fingers.

They stare at each other for two eternal minutes. Then Felix gets up, knees wobbly with fear as he staggers the short distance towards Minho.

“You- it was you all along. You took Jisung from me. And I- I told the others that you-” his voice breaks off into a sob. “Why?”

“Because he threatened my existence.”

“He would have never wanted anybody here to die.” Felix whimpers, hands instinctively reaching out for Minho before he catches himself and draws back.

“I am not put here to show mercy. I am put here to eliminate you.”

“Then why did you let me-”

“That is the only thing I can’t explain.” Minho sighs. “Now can you please allow me to take you down?”

Felix gasps for air, throwing himself backwards to get as far away from Minho as he can.

“No.” he says resolutely. _No_? Minho grits his teeth. He knew he shouldn’t have let this human get close to him. At the same time, it finally gives him a sense of familiarity. _This_ is how humans behave, desperate to protect their fragile lives. It sparks an interest inside Minho, the predator in him waking up at the slightest sniff of a hunt. Felix seems to realize this and dashes into the corridor with a heartbreaking sob, his feet slipping on the bloody floor. Minho gives him a few seconds to run before going after him.

He is back in his element, adrenaline coursing through his veins, making his vision fuzzy at the edges as it zeroes in on the human. He hears a heartbeat hammering against a rib cage, and Felix isn’t Felix anymore to Minho. He is just another prey, all Minho’s instincts are taking over. Gone is that memory of big eyes looking at him, saying he is beautiful. _It is just a shell anyway_. Gone is the feeling of Felix’s arms around Minho when he thought Minho’s life had been tragic before coming here. All that is left is the scent of dread filling the air as Minho tracks the human down, getting closer by the second. He laughs at the faint memory clinging onto the outskirts of his mind. How could he ever feel the need to protect this human?

He rounds a corner just in time to see his prey stumble and fall down, scrambling to get up but Minho is faster. He pounces the boy, caging him between the floor and Minho’s heavy body. He sees the black slime dribble down the body underneath him, it riles him up even more. Fuck, it feels so good to let go. He sits up, and catches the young human’s gaze, frantic and terrified.

“Lino, it’s me. Please-” the boy wails, voice hoarse and filled with panic. Somewhere, it tugs at Minho’s consciousness. He hesitates, guilt flooding his system. Is he really about to murder the only one who ever cared for him? _Felix_. His adrenaline dissipates in an instant but his body hasn’t caught the reluctance and the agonizing shout that echoes in the steel room as Minho’s claws pierce the skin of the human’s- no; _Felix’s_ chest startles him. The sound of his rib cage cracking when Minho’s fist drives through it is drowned in Felix’s raw yelling. Minho closes his palm around Felix’s racing heart, the muscle fluttering in his grip.

“Don’t-” is all Felix manages to wheeze in a thin voice before Minho rips the life right out of the boy, Felix’s last, broken scream ringing between his ears. The muscle stills in Minho’s hand, and reality catches up with him, washing over him with an immense wave of self hatred. He lets out a shaky breath, tears brimming his eyes as he places Felix’s heart back in the empty space in his rib cage. His palm lays flat over the open hole, and he cries for the first time in his short life.

“I’m sorry. I’m _so_ fucking sorry, Felix.”

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

The faint sound of the elevator announcing someone’s arrival to the main floor sounds through the ship. Minho can hear them approach. But he can’t find it in him to care. He has been lying next to Felix’s cold body for three days, and he knows they are here to discard him. He isn’t functioning properly anymore, unable to do his task.

“Damn, this one really went amok.” a male voice bounces off the empty walls.

“It really looks like a crime scene.” a woman can be heard. “Isn’t it programmed to clean up after itself?”

“Well, technically yes. But sometimes they malfunction and none of their tasks are performed after that. We call them deviants. This one used to be our best Imposter, never a missed mission. I’m sad to see it fail.” another male voice speaks up. “Now we just gotta find the fucker.”

Steps come closer, and Minho senses them nearing before they can see him. Then, a shriek from the first male voice.

“Here. _Holy fuck_.”

They all stop, probably taking in the gruesome scene before them.

“Is it alive?” the woman asks, voice shaking.

“Yes. It surely sensed our arrival a long time ago. They have a crazy good sixth sense.”

“Won’t it hurt us?”

“No, it has given up already. They know when they fail. We just have to be careful with how we transport it to the garbage chute. They have sharp claws and fangs, and their saliva can leave burn wounds if touched for too long.”

Minho feels his feet being grabbed, and he clutches onto Felix’s limp body, dragging him along.

“Sir, it is trying to take the corpse with it.” the woman says, voice alarmed.

“So? Let it. The boy is dead already. It’s probably the person who turned it into a deviant.”

They collectively heave Minho and Felix towards the chute, chugging them both in there with rough maneuvering.

“There we go, great job. Press the button.”

And just like that, it’s all over.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

**Author's Note:**

> did u love it? if u did, let me know ;~;  
> please leave kudos and comments in the pink, glittery box right here *points aggressivly*  
> until next time  
> uwus only  
> xx


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